


Not Quite Eohippus

by randi2204



Series: Steampunk!Seven [7]
Category: The Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Steampunk, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-07
Updated: 2013-04-07
Packaged: 2017-12-07 17:22:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/751078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/randi2204/pseuds/randi2204
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Josiah's building another prototype, and JD is... less than impressed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not Quite Eohippus

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: They belong to MGM, Mirisch and Trilogy, not me. I just like to play.

_The principle is the same,_ Josiah told himself, not for the first time, and carefully fit another delicate gear into place.  _It’s just smaller.  A prototype, to see if the idea will work…_

 

He forced his hands to remain steady; damaging the gear would mean too much time lost while he molded another, waited for the metal to cool, then used his thinnest rasp to file the cogs into knife-sharpness, the better to mesh and transmit the force necessary to make the mechanism _work_.

 

But the gear fell into the right place without a hitch.  Josiah straightened from his workbench, smiling down at the metal form as he closed the access panels to the limbs and torso.  Carefully he set it upright and waited for the tiny steam engine inside to get up pressure.  That had been nearly more trouble than it was worth.  _But,_ Josiah reminded himself, _an excellent exercise for the student…_

 

One of the figure’s limbs twitched, and the thing lurched forward across his workbench, one hesitant step at a time.  _“Eureka!”_ Josiah whooped, and caught it just before it would have toppled onto the floor.

 

Suddenly JD was underfoot, leaning in and prodding the thing he held.  “Did it… hey!  I thought you were working on some kinda horse, Josiah! Somethin’ that could go faster’n anything.”  JD gave him a disappointed glance.  “That looks like a cat!  It’s even got whiskers!”

 

“It _is_ a cat, JD,” Josiah said, grinning widely.  He didn’t put the cat down, though, and even stroked it between the ears.  It didn’t purr, of course, but the engine thrumming deep inside felt almost the same.  “But now that I know that the concept _does_ work, I can start working on the iron horse.”  _And_ that, he thought, full of heady success, _will be nothing short of a_ masterpiece.

 

JD just snorted and returned to shoveling coal into the furnace.  “Well, good.  Who’d want an iron _cat_ anyway?”

 

***

August 29, 2012

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by something [DichotomyStudios](http://archiveofourown.org/users/DichotomyStudios/) said, regarding a piece of art called (and I quote) "something something and the mekaneko". Of course, I couldn't resist. :-)


End file.
